Please Take Him Back
by storiesinthedark
Summary: John Watson wakes up one morning to find Sherlock's been kidnapped, but even though he's been taken John still can't get any peace and quiet.


The flat was quiet as John came down the stairs that early morning. He slippers glided across the floor, not breaking the silence at all.

'Something's wrong here.' John thought to himself. He paused outside of the living room and glanced in briefly. The telly was off and Sherlock's case files were surprisingly neat. John wandered over to the kitchen counter. He grabbed the kettle as he would on any ordinary morning, filled it with water, and placed it on the stove to heat. He looked around the kitchen, his lips and eyes twisting into a look of confusion. There were no experiments currently congealing on the kitchen table.

"Hm." John thought aloud. "Perhaps he's gotten tired of me and moved himself out." John smiled at the thought of the lanky detective gathering his things in the middle of the night and sulking off.

A knock at the door quickly shattered those images and John crossed the room to answer the door.

"Yes?" John asked staring at the scruffy man who appeared before him.

"Dr. John Watson?" the man asked. He looked over his shoulder as if someone was behind him giving him orders.

"Ummm. Yes. And who are you?"

"That's not important." The man hesitated a moment. "Look, could you please just take him back?" The man blurted out quickly.

"I'm sorry. Take who back?" John licked his lips and folded his arms across his striped jumper.

"Don't play dumb, Doctor Watson. You know perfectly well who we are talking about," the man said, raising his voice slightly.

John shrugged his shoulders and paused for a moment, looking past the man to a black SUV that was parked just across the street from the flat. He glanced briefly in the window and could see none other than Sherlock Holmes with his hands tied behind his back, yet his mouth and mind moving a mile a minute. The man who sat opposite him looked to be in more pain than Sherlock. Recognition set in.

"No." John said inhaling and exhaling pointedly. "I'm not going to take him back. You wanted the great Sherlock Holmes and you have him. I don't see what the problem is."

The man stared at John, eyes widening at an alarming rate. "But, Doctor Watson—"

"I'm sorry." John cut the man off. "I have other things to do and if you have abducted him, honestly I might be able to get them done in a timely manner."

The man's mouth began to open and John shut the door. He turned and walked up the stairs smirking to himself.

A solid four hours had passed before another knock on the door spoiled John's relaxing day. He had managed to soak in the tub for a good half hour without the interruption of an exploding experiment or Sherlock barging in. He'd typed up the latest entry to his blog without any snarky commentary and he had even put the flat into a reasonable state of cleanliness.

John rose from his chairs and headed down the stairs to the front door.

John pulled the door open and leaned against the doorframe. "Yes?" he asked roughly.

The same scruffy man was standing in front of the door again. "Doctor Watson, I am begging you. Please."

John exhaled heavily. "I've already told you once. The answer is no."

John picked himself up from the doorframe and began to turn away again, when a hand on his shoulder turned him back around.

"I'll give you anything you want. Money, jewels, anything. Please." John looked into the man's eyes and could see the desperation in them.

"Well, let me think about it." He stood for a moment. "No."

"Anything, and I mean anything. Come on! Please! Please just take him back!"

"Fine. I want rent money for the next three years and the promise that Sherlock will buy the milk the next time we're out."

The man hesitated for a moment and then extended his hand. "Deal."

John shook the man's hand firmly, but briefly.

"I'll go get him." The man said nearly leaping off of the stairs and rushing toward the black SUV parked across the street. He soon returned strolling across the street pushing a gagged and handcuffed Sherlock in front of him.

"He's all yours." The man pushed Sherlock into John and took off running back across the street.

John looked at the man towering in front of him. He reached out and led Sherlock up the stairs by the handcuffs.

Once they had reached the inside of the flat, John reached up and removed the gag from Sherlock's mouth.

"I don't know what you did to them," He started. "But whatever it was they were pretty keen on getting rid of you. They actually had to beg and bribe me."

Sherlock didn't respond. He just looked down at John with an odd stare. John returned his stare and then wandered into the kitchen to try and find something to pick the lock on the handcuffs.

It didn't take long before Sherlock's hands were free. He looked around at the flat.

"I see you cleaned." Sherlock started. "And you moved all of my case files?"

"They were already moved when I came down this morning." John rolled his eyes and walked to sit in his chair.

"They must have been looking for something." Sherlock said to no one in particular.

"What did you do to them anyway? I was quite happy with the quiet flat. I was going to invite Sarah over."

"You were not. And I didn't do anything to them. I simply pointed out how inadequate they were as kidnappers." Sherlock smirked and walked over to John.

"I'm sure that was all you were doing." John stared up at Sherlock and smiled.

"Shut up." Sherlock said as he bent down and placed a small kiss on John's cheek. "Next time, I'll make sure they take you instead."


End file.
